Heaven’s Gate (ヘブンズゲート)
Developer: Racdym
Release Date: 1996
Platforms: Arcade, PlayStation
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This review was originally published in 32 Bit Library Volume 4, which includes coverage of Atlus’ games for the PlayStation, as well as several import titles. Check it out!
Heaven’s Gate (known as Yusha: Heaven’s Gate in PAL territories) is one of the PlayStation’s many 3D fighting games, this time an arcade port coming from developer Racdym. The company had previously made two other similar looking games, Shadow Struggle and Critical Blow, but while those were 2.5D fighters in the style of Street Fighter EX, Heaven’s Gate takes very heavily after Virtua Fighter. It uses the same three button setup to punch, kick, and guard, you can attack enemies on the floor (or roll out of the way if you’re down), and you can even knock your opponents off the sides of the stage for a quick victory. However, in this game, some stages have ceilings, which you can latch onto and bounce off of using a triangle kick maneuver, and you can hit enemies into it as well. It also features super gauges, here called Sol / Lunar Bars. When it’s filled up, you can activate it, which grants a brief moment of invincibility and lets you use a few extra special moves, including super attacks.
Half of the core eight character roster includes bland heroes like fighter guy Jin, and fighter gals Nanase and Verny. But then there’s Kyosuke, who wears a cape that makes him look like a medieval count and wields a pair of tonfa; A Hau, a Congolese tribal fighter adorned in elaborate tattoos; Engetsu, basically a giant Son Goku the Monkey King; and Sasa, a sexy plant lady. Outside of the core roster, Kurara Hananokoji from Atlus’ Power Instinct series also pop up as an unlockable character, marking the only time she’s shown up in polygonal form.
Most fighters also fall into Angel or Demon alignments, though functionally this doesn’t mean a whole lot beyond changing which characters you’ll unlock after beating the game. The presentation feels barebones, as there’s just a simple introduction video, without any real cutscenes or endings.
Heaven’s Gate isn’t particularly original, but compared to the many, many other dire 3D fighters on the PlayStation, it holds up comparatively well. The 3D visuals look great, and the backgrounds even have some 3D elements to them, like the trucks in the parking lot stage and the windmills in the flower garden. It’s hardly an essential fighter, but since it channels Sega’s games, on the PlayStation no less, it’s worth checking out if one’s hungry for more after Last Bronx or Fighting Vipers.
